Guys, do I have the best 2 days of your bloggy blog life EVER coming up. For one, I have a delicious recipe for peanut butter jelly bars for your viewing pleasure today.

Secondly, I’m sharing the Robert Irvine interview tomorrow AND doing a giveaway! Wahoo! Free stuff! So please be sure to check out the ol’ blogski tomorrow to see what you can win 🙂

Now let’s talk peanut butter jelly. And you can’t actually do that without this…

I was dancing around to this in the kitchen as I prepared the bars this morning. I mean, I know I’m not the only person to think of that immediately now. Thanks interwebs! So guys, I love peanut butter and jelly. I mean, I know, bold unique statement there. But it’s so good and brings back happy waves of nostalgia with each delicious bite. In fact, I’ve even made my favorite sandwich into a muffin too! Despite awful photographs (pre-DSLR days), those muffins were good. But not even close to being as good as these.

I mean, look at them! Look at them in all their jelly and peanuty glory!

They taste like the sandwich on steroids. Or like the sandwich won the lottery, moved to Beverly Hills and got a makeover. Stunning, but with all those delicious flavors you grew up on. Honestly, just the best dessert ever.

Plus, these are light to boot! Made with mostly whole wheat flour, unsweetened applesauce and low-sodium peanut butter, these gooey, sweet and decadent bars only look bad for you. Aren’t those the best desserts?

Plus, you can totally eat these at lunch. I mean, they are peanut butter and jelly. Right? So pack them up all tight in a little ziplock and tote them to work in your handy dandy monogrammed lunch box. (Don’t judge me).

Directions:

In a medium size mixing bowl, beat applesauce, butter, brown sugar and white sugar until mixture is fluffy and creamy. Add egg, vanilla and peanut butter and beat until mixture is fully combined.

In another bowl, mix together the flours, baking powder and salt. Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet mixture until the batter is mixed.

Place about 1/2 the batter onto the bottom of the prepared pan, using a spatula or your hands to push it so it covers the bottom. Spread jam over the dough. Carefully spread the rest of the dough over the jam (or just crumble it over). Then, sprinkle with chopped peanuts.

Bake for about 45 – 55 minutes, or until jam is bubbly and the dough is browned. Let cool completely before you cut into bars. Serve and enjoy!

Hi Claire! I came across this recipe on foodgawker and it caught my eye since I LOVE peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I made these bars yesterday and I can honestly say they are the best bar I've ever made! I brought them to a bbq and they completely disappeared. Thank you so much for the amazing recipe!